Past and Present
by crazysockmonkeys
Summary: These are stories from each character's childhood.
1. Snowy Woods

**Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this story! This is just the first chapter, there are more on the way!  
**

**I've had this first chapter in mind for close to two months now, and very I'm excited about sharing it with you.**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

Daphne sighed with relief as she laid the last little brother down for a nap. There was nothing more satisfying than this time of the day, when she didn't have to worry about what any brothers were up to and the house was finally quiet.

That, coincidentally, was when she heard the sound of shouting parents coming from the upstairs bedroom. She had been hearing it so often lately that it was almost instinct now to head straight for the door, grab her coat, and pick up her boots.

Soon she found herself on the side door steps, lacing up her black snow boots. Sometimes she wished that she could have girly things, like, well, pink boots instead of black, but articles of clothing like coats, gloves, and boots had to be passed on through at least most of her family. When she looked up from her feet, she saw that it had started snowing again. Snow already lined the ground and every treetop. She thought about the busy Manchester streets that were not too far from here, the roads filled with filthy slush and the sidewalks icy.

Just a few feet in front of her stood the woods, a perfect clearing in the middle for eleven-year-old girls such as herself to walk through and explore.

Ready now, she stood up and began to venture out along the path.

All around her, the snow created an aura of ridged brown branches topped with powdered-sugar snow. She knew the woods like the back of her hand, every bend, every log, every stone. Daphne began to sing a song as she walked along, a lullaby she often sang to the little ones.

_Lovely and bright the stars will shine_

_ever awake till you are mine_

_Darling don't worry for I am near_

_singing a song for you to hear_

She continued to sing as she came across the creek, now frozen. In the summer, she would take off her shoes and sit with her feet in it, staring up at the green sheet of trees above her. Now, she hopped across stones to get across it.

_A candle burns dim beside your bed_

_come now, my dear, and rest your head_

_Your dreams will be filled with beautiful things_

_and one little angel with golden wings_

Before she knew it, Daphne had arrived at the pond she and her brothers loved swimming in. Of course, she wouldn't dream of it now. The surface was iced over and snow was piling on top of it. She took a rock from beneath her feet and threw it out, landing on top of still more snow. There it would wait until everything melted, where it would receive its fate: a lifetime at the bottom of a pond. She knew that she could not go much further (her parents would be noticing her absence soon), but she kept going, not ceasing to sing.

_I shall return when morning dawns_

_you will awake with the little fawns_

_Remember I love you like flowers love sun_

_so sleep, sleep my little one_

She stopped at a large hill that, though covered with trees, looked down an old fountain. It didn't work any more, of course, and Daphne was certain that it hadn't in years. Upon seeing it, she fell on her bottom, overcome with one of her psychic flashes. It was of a young couple there together, hand in hand and deeply in love. She laughed at herself as she got up from the ground, for this happened most every time she saw the fountain.

Feeling light and in a happy mood, she decided to run back all the way back to her house. She was a swift and quick runner, and she was there in no time. Tired and panting, she sat herself down on the steps once more. Daphne just sat there for a moment, staring at the beautiful sight of the snow falling in front of the trees.

She was finally ready to go back inside and face her own family.

* * *

"Why didn't I stay in Seattle this year?" thought Daphne as she slumped down on the side door steps. "Dr. Crane, his brother, and Mr. Crane would have had me. They offered."

But instead, she was here with all ten family members for New Years. Her father was off at the pub and her mother was cooking dinner. Meanwhile, all of her brothers were talking about their girlfriends or wives. Therefore, she had two choices: listen to them or help her mother while listening to her gripe about how Daphne hadn't found a decent man yet, two things she wasn't about to do.

She had told everyone she was driving to the store, but now that she thought about it, she really didn't want to.

"Why is it that I can't get find a husband?" she whispered. She hadn't had a boyfriend for a dreadfully long time. The last serious one she could remember was Joe, but he had broken it off with her over a year ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden realization that it was snowing. It had been doing so off and on all day, so that now there were a few inches on the ground.

All of a sudden, she realized the woods in front of her. She had been conscious of it since she had arrived here, but she hadn't really acknowledged it until now. She remembered as a girl when she would find her escape within it. How long had it been since she had explored it?

Daphne stood up and began to walk towards the beckoning trees. "Why not?" she thought, and she began to head down the path.

As she walked, she remembered the song that she sang to herself while romping through the forest. The last time she had used that song was when Dr. Crane's son Freddie had come for a visit and was homesick for his mother one night. She sang that song to him and within minutes he was asleep.

A few moments later, she began singing. "My voice isn't exactly heavenly," thought Daphne, "but it's not like the bloody trees have ears."

_Lovely and bright the stars will shine_

_ever awake till you are mine…_

She came across the frozen, winding creek and was surprised to see that the same stones were in the same places as when she was a girl. Hopping over them, she moved on.

Daphne tried to remember the last time she had been in these woods, and then resolved that it was probably before she moved to London. In her anxiousness of moving to a new place, she had come here often, trying to find safety and relaxation. For the past four and a half years, the only place she could really find anything close to that was in her room, and that wasn't near as beautiful as this place. She really loved her job, but sometimes it left her so beat down that she wondered if it was really worth it.

Suddenly, she was glad she came here. It was almost as if she could feel her shoulders getting lighter and her stress of late disappearing. When she came to the pond, she thought about how many stones she had thrown into it in her lifetime. Deciding to add one more to the unknown number, she picked up a rock and threw it as hard as she could.

From here she remembered what came next, and she braced herself as she approached it. When her eyes saw the fountain, she found herself on her bum yet again, having a vision about some couple, madly in love. Picking herself up, she looked back on the time she had ventured down there for the first time. She was thirteen and feeling brave at the time, so she ran down and looked for clues that would point to two people being there...or perhaps dying there. She had always thought that their spirits haunted the area, and that they were trying to contact her through her visions. Daphne felt a little chill go up her back as she looked down at it.

Knowing she had plenty of time until her family would be expecting her back, she wandered further into woodland, feeling better with each step.

Daphne was well aware that she would leave here clear-minded and rejuvenated, prepared to face her family and her life once more.


	2. Yellow House

**Author's note: This was inspired by a Twitter conversation with Kristen3! Enjoy!**

* * *

Niles was fed up. He raced down the stairs and looked for the closest escape, which happened to be the back door. Once outside, he took a deep breath of the fresh evening air. To him, there was nothing so frustrating as his older brother, the boy in his early teen years that seemed to fire insults at Niles like a cannon. Just now, they had a squabble about The 1812 Overture. Frasier thought it was overstated and blunt, and Niles thought it was vivacious and lively. He had outwardly condemned Niles' taste and told him that he "was too young to understand great music." And that was when Niles ran out of the house.

Perhaps he had overreacted a little bit, but he most definitely was not too young for music. He was ten years old, after all! "Mozart composed when he was five years old,"he thought, "certainly I am old enough to know what good music is."

But he wasn't so sure he believed that. As he stood there on his back porch, he wondered if Frasier was right. He feared that he would be cursed for the rest of his days as a man who had a very poor grasp of music.

He stared out to what lied beyond the back of his house. There was a steep hill not to far away from it, followed by another shorter one. His dad, Martin, had always told him that it was the perfect place to play, but Niles and Frasier had always disregarded it. They weren't much for spending time outside.

The more Niles dwelled upon Frasier's hurtful words, the worse he felt, until soon tears filled his eyes. He drew his handkerchief from his pocket and was about to wipe his eyes when suddenly the wind ripped it from his hand. He wasn't much of a runner, but he chased after it down the hill and then up the next. Each time it touched the ground, it was only there for a second for a second before a breeze came and snatched it up once more, causing him to run further and further. When he was finally able to pick it up, he found that he stood in front of a small patch of evergreens. It looked rather scary inside of them, and Niles took a step back.

Then he thought of something.

"I might have a terrible ear for music," he whispered to himself, "but I'll show Frasier yet!"

With that he turned his chin upward, tucked his handkerchief in his po,cket, and headed straight into the trees.

Niles hated nature and was terrified as he did this, but he thought about how proud his father would be that he had explored outdoors, and how jealous that would make his brother.

It was definitely worth it.

As he walked, his eyes were glued to the ground, watching for bugs or thorns. Thankfully, he was wearing a sweater and long pants, so he needn't worry about poison ivy.

He didn't look up until he saw a large patch of sunlight before him, indicating a clearing.

Suddenly, he was face to face with a large, run-down house. Its faded yellow paint was peeling, and its windows were broken or boarded up. Fear rose up inside of Niles, and so did the urge to run all the way home and not look back.

But, how it would _kill _Frasier to know that he had wandered casually through and abandoned house alone! It would certainly prove his bravery if nothing else.

Niles took a deep breath and began to ascend the stone steps leading to the house. Vines grew on the pillars supporting the porch, and as he walked on the wooden boards that led to the door he literally prayed that they wouldn't give way. When the door did loom in front of him, its surface stripped of color and lacking a doorknob, his heart beat rapidly. He ever so slowly put his foot out and nudged the door open.

The next thing he knew, a scream was rising out of him.

For just inside the door laid a huge spider with an intricately crafted web, waiting to draw in its next meal.

Niles turned and ran like he never had before, through the trees and over the hills until at last he was back on the porch of his house. He collapsed on top of it and tried to regain his breath, as well as feeling in his arms and legs. He sat there for a few moments until he could stand, and when he did, he breathed deeply, opened the door slowly, and re-entered his home.

There had been a change of plans.

Niles wasn't telling anyone where he had been this evening.

* * *

"What am I doing here?" Niles thought as he got out of the car.

He was back at his childhood home, chasing a repressed memory. It had emerged earlier that day while he was sitting in his office waiting for his next appointment. He was leaning back in his imported leather chair, thinking about the other day when he had watched Daphne clean one of his brother's small statues with her soft and delicate hands. Just dreaming about it made him warm. Niles got up to get himself some cool water, and as he did he caught a glimpse of a pale yellow box of tissues he kept on his desk for patients.

In a sudden flash, he remembered an old, abandoned yellow house hidden in a grove of evergreens. He had gone home and thought about it for hours, trying to remember where he had seen it before. After all, it could have been something he saw in a movie or read in a book. He had nothing until he turned on his radio to the classical station and heard The 1812 Overture.

Suddenly it all made sense.

He could recall chasing after his handkerchief on that cool summer evening and finding that house, but what had happened that had made him repress the memory?

Niles had rushed out of his building, The Montana, and in to his car, where he drove quickly to the home where he was raised.

In his haste, he hadn't really thought about what he was doing. Now, this whole idea seemed preposterous.

"But I did drive all the way over here," he thought, "and what could it hurt, after all?"

There weren't any signs of someone living in the house, so there would be no worrying about that. Besides, perhaps a visit to where this memory had occurred would give him some insight as to what really happened.

So Niles walked around to the back of the house and looked out at the hills that made his backyard so long ago.

Perhaps he would get some answers if he started walking through them.

As he did, he was careful to walk slowly as not to damage his ankles in any fashion.

It was a nice day, and the sun was finally out. "It will do me good to be outside," Niles thought. Lately he hadn't been doing much lately except for going to work, spending time at Frasier's, and lying around his home. He had just recently discovered that Maris was cheating on him with their couple's therapist, and he hadn't really been in the mood to do much. Now, he felt better already.

He was almost expecting to have a sort of epiphany as he walked, but nothing happened, until soon he found himself right in front of the patch of evergreens. Surely it wasn't worth trudging through the trees to get the answer.

Then he thought of Daphne, and how she had told him about how she loved to walk through the woods outside her home in Manchester.

What might happen if he told her that he had taken a trip through the trees, too? Would she think differently of him? Perhaps she would think him more of a man if he did.

He began to crunch his way through the trees, his heart racing with fear all the while. Niles hoped his jacket would remain free of sap or tar.

Finally, there it was, the old house he had found all those many years ago. It looked even worse now, and Niles didn't dare go close to it. He noticed that door lay slightly ajar, as if someone had…

And that's when he remembered.

The big, black spider in that horrifying web…

It was enough to make Niles run all the way back to his car without stopping.

True to form, he would be telling no one what he had done with his evening.


	3. Wicker Chairs

**Author's Note: Again, I have to thank Kristen3 for giving me the idea for this chapter!**

* * *

Frasier sat on his bed and took a deep breath. Relief overcame him and he knew that no one could possibly ridicule him here. He liked school as a whole, but middle school was tough on him, mostly because of the rough, athletic boys who thought that they were so much better than him. Of course, he knew that he had way more class than they did, and therefore he needn't worry himself about what they thought.

Still, he wasn't about to pretend their words didn't hurt him.

He grabbed his book from his bedside table and began to read. It was _To Kill a Mockingbird _by Harper Lee. Perhaps it was a bit mature for eleven-year-old, but Frasier knew that one could never be too young to learn great literature.

It was at that precise moment with his brother Niles entered the room. "Hello Frasier," he said. "What are you reading?"

Frasier rolled his eyes. "It's none of your business," he said, annoyed at his nosy little brother.

Niles crouched down to see the cover of the book. "To…Kill…a…Mockingbird," he read.

"Stop it, Niles!" Frasier stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the book face down on his bed. He paced down the stairs, Niles following closely behind.

"What seems to be troubling you?" he said, trying to catch up with him.

"Leave me alone, Niles!"

"Is it those pests in your grade again?"

"_Shut up_, Niles!"

Their squabble was interrupted by their father's sudden interjection.

"Hey, boys, shut yer yaps! I'm tryin' to read here!"

They turned to see Martin sitting at the table, trying to read the sports section of the newspaper.

"Sorry Dad," said Frasier. He knew that in the brief hours his father was home, it was all they could do to give him some peace and quiet.

With haste, Frasier moved out the front door and sat in one of the wicker chairs that stood on the porch. Niles, of course, did the same.

"What did they do this time?" he asked.

Frasier sighed, not wanting to tell him but wondering if it might do him some good.

"The usual. Name calling, taunting…"

"And what else?"

"They grabbed my briefcase…and began to play a merciless game of keep-away with it."

"Good heavens! No wonder you're upset. I must admit I knew something was wrong when I discovered your reading about the hunting of mockingbirds."

"Niles, you are so juvenile! _To Kill a Mockingbird _is about…well, I don't know yet, but it's one of the great American novels of our time!"

The two were silent for a few moments, then Niles told him, "They're nothing but immature fools, Frasier. Why, I'm sure they don't own calfskin _anything_…not just a briefcase."

Frasier was surprised that Niles was willing to help him like this. Usually, he only showed interest in things like this when he could give Frasier a hard time about them. "What's going on, Niles? Why are you helping me all of a sudden?"

Niles looked down at his feet and they began to move slightly.

"Last week the same thing happened to me," he answered.

"In elementary school?" asked Frasier. "I didn't think it started until junior high."

"Well, apparently the rules have changed." Niles sighed and began telling him the story. "Last Wednesday I noticed that some of the more intelligent girls were reading the much overrated _Nancy Drew_ books. I told them they were most unrealistic and that it was a waste of their time to be reading such literature, and then that _imbecile _Stephen Lapel came over and asked me if I had read them. I was well aware that if I lied and told him no my nose would start to bleed, so I-"

"Wait a second. You _read_ the Nancy Drew books?"

"Yes, but only to get better acquainted with today's society! So anyways, I didn't say anything, and of course he saw right through me. Before I knew it, he had called his friends over and all of them started calling me "Nancy"! And it was during recess, so my teacher Mrs. March saw nothing."

Frasier knew all too well his brother's pain, but didn't know how to comfort him. All he managed to say was, "I'm sorry, Niles. That's terrible."

Niles leaned his head against the back of the chair. "I supposed I should get used to answering to Nancy now."

"Don't be silly. They'll forget it in due time."

"But what if it's like a recurring joke I get teased about for the rest of my school career?"

"I doubt that, Niles."

Niles sighed yet again. "Thank you, Frasier. I think I need a little time to myself, so if you'll kindly stay out of our bedroom for awhile…"

"No problem. I think I'll take a walk around the neighborhood."

The two parted ways. Niles went back inside the house and Frasier descended the porch steps and began to walk down the sidewalk.

He felt strange about the conversation he had just shared with his brother. Most of the time the only serious thing they ever talked about were items they both enjoyed, such as books or opera recordings. But _this, this _was about _life_.

Not only that, it had actually helped him.

He couldn't help but wonder how many other conversations like that they would have.

* * *

Frasier softly played his piano while his mind was about a thousand miles away. He was going to visit his family in Seattle for a few days, and as excited as he was something still troubled him.

Lately his co-workers had been teasing him about still being single and without a family. He knew that soon he would be with his brother who had a pretty wife and an intelligent son. His own son, Freddy, was as good as grown now, and he had not found another wife since Lilith.

On the plane ride from Chicago to Seattle, he thought long and hard about this and tried to make himself forget about it as he landed, but it didn't exactly work.

When he finally walked through the gate doors, he spotted Daphne and David right away.

"Frasier!" Daphne cried. Her long, dark hair was bound in a braid down her left shoulder. He had mostly seen the style on younger women, but it looked good on her. Frasier drew her in for a hug and then looked at David. The shy boy only smiled as Frasier threw his arms around him.

On the way to Niles' apartment, Daphne updated him on everything Niles hadn't told him over the phone. "He's had more patients now than he's had in years. It's wonderful, but David and I see less and less of him," she told him.

"Niles told me he had been busy lately, but I had no idea his office was thriving so much."

"Oh, yes. Isn't that right, David?" Daphne asked. He only nodded, and Frasier wasn't surprised.

When they got there, Frasier took his bags up to the guest room and took a deep breath. It seemed Niles had everything now, a family, a successful business, a beautiful home…

He reasoned that perhaps it was about time things worked out for Niles. After all, for years he had served an ungrateful wife while working long and hard. Then, she had cheated on him and they had divorced. He had had to live out his life loving a woman from a distance, and then watch her almost get married…

It was indeed time Niles had a stroke of luck. A very long stroke of luck.

But what about Frasier? Wasn't it time he was blessed, too?

Sure, he had a good job, a good home, and some good friends, but sometimes he was surprised by how lonely he got.

He brushed away the thought and went back to join Daphne and David downstairs.

Later, Niles joined them and they all had dinner together.

"David," he told his son, "tell Frasier what happened last week."

A small grin forced itself across his face. "I got all A-pluses on my report card," he said softly.

"_A-pluses_," said Daphne. She smiled at David. "He's as sharp as a tack."

David blushed.

"How exciting for you, David!" Frasier said. "You know, I think you're taking after your father on the academic side. I don't think Niles ever received one B in his entire life."

"Oh, Frasier, you didn't either," Niles said. "Well, there was that one time…"

"Yes, but let's not talk about that right now," Frasier said quickly, then he changed the subject. He wasn't really in the mood to discuss his shortcomings at the moment.

The evening went on and Martin, Ronee, Roz, and Alice came over later to see Frasier.

All of them stayed for about two hours and then left, and David said goodnight and was sent off to bed.

Frasier, Niles, and Daphne stayed up for hours just talking, mostly about when Frasier had lived in Seattle.

It was about 1 AM when Daphne finally said, "Well, I'm getting sleepy. It's probably about time I got to bed anyways, I've got to take David to school tomorrow." She stood up. "Are you coming, Niles?"

"I'll be there soon, my love, I have to speak with Frasier about something," he replied.

"Alright," she said, and she went up the stairs.

As soon as Daphne was out of earshot, Niles said, "Alright, Frasier, what's the matter?"

"What do you mean, Niles?" Frasier asked.

"You know quite well what I mean. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Niles…" Frasier knew that it would be no use lying to him. It would be ten times more effective just to tell him the truth.

"Alright. I'm feeling lonely." Frasier sighed. "Lately, at work, people have been giving me a hard time about still being single. Seeing you and how blessed you are…I guess sort of made me jealous."

"I know exactly what you mean. I used to feel that way all the time before Daphne and I started dating. There you were, with your own radio show, with scads of women just dying to go out with you, with a _goddess _living under your roof… But that's beside the point. I learned that it was just a dry spell, and that everyone has them. But in time, things get better." He stood up and began to walk towards the staircase. "It will be the same for you, Frasier. Goodnight."

He ascended the staircase and was gone.

_Niles has done it again, _thought Frasier. _He's made me feel better simply by talking to me. _It had been that way for years and he wondered why he hadn't gone to him more often when they had lived near each other.

_He's a good brother, _he thought as he got up, switched off the lights, and began to head towards the guest room.


	4. Purple Flowers

Roz sped down the hill, letting out a crisp scream as she did so. Her bicycle wheels whirled and her hands tightened around her handlebars. A smile made a bold presence on her face, and her two pigtails floated behind her like ribbons in the wind. Rain fell from heaven and sunk into her clothes and skin.

She finally reached the bottom of the hill, and she leaned to the left and turned the front wheel. Holding her breath, she watched as her bike got slower and slower until she finally pressed on her brakes and brought her feet to the ground.

No one had seen her fly down the hill because no one was out on a day like today: rainy, dreary, and sleepy. Roz, however, couldn't have felt more playful and energetic.

All around her, the green of the field contrasting with the gray of the sky glowed. Roz put her soaked feet back on the petals and began to ride through the grass to the sidewalk. As she glided through puddle after puddles, she thought about what else she could do to make the most out of this brilliant, wonderful day.

It was her eleventh birthday.

There was no way her mother would have let her play in the rain like this if it hadn't been.

And now, Roz knew from experience that in no time her day would be gone.

When she finally returned home, her mother told her to change clothes and sit in her room under a blanket for a while. "I don't want you catching a cold on your birthday," she had said. Roz rolled her eyes, but complied.

She lied on her bed under a soft blanket and grabbed her diary. It was almost full now with past testaments, but the cover was still as beautiful as ever, with lovely, beautiful lilac blossoms that she could almost smell. Opening to a random page, she began to read.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was the first day of fifth grade. I'll just tell you right now, it's SO overrated. I mean, my class doesn't even have any cute boys! Most of them are dweebs that I wouldn't even want to be seen with._

_Mom and I went out for ice cream after school to "celebrate." Whatever. I hate stupid school._

_Roz_

She giggled a little bit at her words that seemed from so long ago. She was done with fifth grade now, and soon she'd have be starting junior high. After she had flipped a few pages, she began to read again.

_Dear Diary,_

_Why does my teacher Mrs. Nicholas give me so much homework all the time? It's really starting to get on my nerves. Who does she think she is, anyways? I'm my own person, dang it! What if I don't WANT to do homework?_

_Of course, Mom and Dad will get mad at me if I don't do it, so I kind of have to. _

_Homework is just stupid, stupid, STUPID!_

_Roz_

After this, she decided to write her an entry for today right then, though usually she waited until the end of the day to do so.

When she was done, Roz got up and played with her Barbie Dolls a little bit until she heard her father call, "Roz, cake!" Smiling, she raced downstairs and plopped down in a dining room chair.

Her family sang to her and then they ate. The sound of rain gave a tranquil background to their conversation, and Roz was suddenly very happy.

She stayed like that until bedtime, when it struck her that her day was as good as over. Roz sighed as she crawled into bed and turned out the light.

"It was such a good day," she thought. "And now it's over."

But, then again, there would be next year.

* * *

"Excuse me, Dr. Crane, but we're about out of time."

Another interminable radio show had finally come to an end.

"Well, Seattle, before we part ways today, I just wanted to wish a very happy birthday to my beloved producer Roz, and I hope that you will all join me," Frasier said.

A small smile crossed Roz's face. "Thank you, Dr. Crane," she said.

"You're welcome, Roz. Good day, Seattle, and good mental health." Frasier stood up and walked in to her booth. "So, Roz, what are you doing tonight for your birthday?" He asked her. She sighed and said, "Nothing really. I'm probably going to take a hot bath, eat some birthday cake ice cream and go to bed."

"What sort of birthday is that? Roz, I insist you come over tonight. Here, I'll call Daphne and tell her to make a cake, get Niles to come over, and we'll have a little birthday party of our own!"

Roz didn't really want to, but she decided to make herself. After all, it would beat her plans for tonight.

"Alright, I'll come. But promise me it won't be like that birthday party you guys tried to throw for your dad three months ago."

He laughed. "Roz, unless Seattle experiences a blackout again, I seriously doubt that."

She went home and changed her clothes, and just as she was about to leave, she remembered something. A package had come for her a few days a go from her mother, but she was under strict orders not to open it until her birthday. Roz grabbed the package and quickly headed out the door.

When she arrived, Daphne answered the door. "Happy birthday, Roz!" She said as she threw her arms around her. "Hey Daphne," she responded. "It's been awhile since I've seen you. What's up?" Roz followed Daphne through the condo and into the kitchen, where she was icing a chocolate cake. "Not much, just the same really," said Daphne. "What about you?"

"Not much has happened to me, either," Roz said.

Daphne nodded. "Well, Dr. Crane is out getting ice cream, and his brother is on his way. Mr. Crane is out taking Eddie for a walk, but I assume he'll be here before long."

Right on cue, they heard the door open and shut, and then the sound of jingling collar tags.

Roz went into the living room, greeted Martin, and sat down. "So Roz, what's new with you?" Martin asked her. "Well, not really anything," she said to him, "I'm another year older, but that's about it."

Martin laughed, and just as he finished, the doorbell rang. Daphne hurried through the living room and answered it.

"Hello Daphne, how lovely you look tonight!" Niles exclaimed. "Thank you, Dr. Crane," she replied. Turning to Roz, she added, "I just finished your cake. Now all we have to do is wait for Dr. Crane to get back and we can eat it!"

After a few minutes, Frasier did indeed arrive.

Everything they ate was delicious, even for such short notice. Roz was surprised at how much fun she really was having. Even Niles was civil towards her, and they all had good conversations and laughed together.

It really was strange.

When they were finished eating, Frasier gave her his gift.

When she smiled as she discovered what it was. "It's a necklace! Thank you so much Frasier!" She hugged him warmly and then got a better look at it. The pendant was an "R" with horizontal black and white stripes.

The others had nothing to give her due to short notice, so she took out her mother's gift, which was still in the mailing envelope.

She reached inside and took out a card with a picture of a moonlit night on the front. Roz opened the card and began to read aloud.

"_Dear Roz,_

_I found this on your bookshelf shortly after you left for college, and I decided to keep it until I knew you would appreciate it. Now that you're so grown up and independent, I think it's time I gave it to you. Happy birthday, Sweetheart._

_Love, Mom."_

Roz groaned as she pulled out the book wrapped in birthday paper.

"What do you know, it's a book," she said sarcastically.

When she unwrapped it, she changed her tune somewhat. For inside that paper was her diary, with its simplistic lilac blossoms. "It's my old diary!" She told everyone.

"I haven't seen this thing since I was in junior high." She began to flip through the pages to see her childish yet neat handwriting.

She stayed for about a half hour longer, then thanked everyone, bid them farewell, and left.

As soon as she got home, Roz was sitting at her table, looking through her diary. She laughed at some of the things she had written about as a child. She flipped to a page near the end of the book, noticed it was a little longer than the other entries, and started reading it.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today I turn eleven. Next year, I'll start sixth grade. I wonder, what did I think eleven would be like when I was younger? _

_Did I think I would be grown-up and pretty looking? Did I think I'd be super-duper smart? I don't know. I don't know if I ever thought about eleven at all._

_Today I read some of my entries from a long time ago. I talked about the same things over and over again. Boys, blah blah blah. Homework, blah blah blah. Riding my bike, blah blah blah. Hmm…is that all I thought about back then?_

_But, I guess it wasn't THAT long ago. Mom and Dad talk about things from when THEY were kids, and that was a really, really long time ago. I don't know._

_You must think I'm going nuts for writing this. Oh well. All you are is a stupid pad of paper anyways._

_Roz_

She laughed out loud as she read the ending, but slipped into the world of her thoughts after that.

At that moment she realized that she had the ability to answer the question she had asked so long ago.

No. She didn't think about the future when she was that young. All that really mattered to her at that age were materialistic things that really didn't matter all that much. Roz never thought about her adult life as a child, not like the other kids did, though. Girls had a warped vision of what they wanted to be from early on, but she realized that she never had.

"That's my whole life, isn't it?" thought Roz. "Things that don't really matter in the end."

She closed her diary and got ready for bed. Soon, she was under the soft sheets and blanket and was lying in the dark.

"Today was a good day," Roz thought. "Today was a good day."


	5. Big Closet

David sat on the floor of his parent's walk-in closet, resting his action figures on his knees. They were having a drawn-out conversation on the whereabouts of an old man's fortune.

"_Where is it, Garth?" Asked Flame._

"_You'll never find it. That money's been mine all along. I've tasted its power upon my tongue from the moment I met the man," Garth responded._

David had read enough action books to know how one of these confrontations worked. He knew what names to give the characters and what weapons to give them, and even what jobs they should have. Flame was a spy, and Garth was a body builder who lived near this wealthy old man.

"_Maybe so, but justice shall rule your evil desires. Now tell me, where is the money?" Flame drew his sword. _

In the books they always had guns, but David liked swords better.

"_You'll have to kill me before I tell you." Garth's sword also made an appearance._

David stood up and began to run around the room with Garth and Flame in his hands, having them bounce of shelves and clothes in a remarkable duel. The two of them swung across David's father's ties, all the while shouting at each other and swinging their swords.

_Finally, Garth and Flame flew to the floor. Flame pinned Garth on the ground and shouted, "Tell me where the money is! This is your last chance!"_

"_All right, all right! You've won, Flame! The money is…beneath the floorboards of the old man's bedroom!"_

It was at that moment that Niles walked into his closet and David stopped. "Hi Dad," he said. "Hello David," Niles replied, "are Garth and Flame having another battle?"

David chuckled and nodded, then stood up and walked out of the closet. He stopped by his bedroom and put his two action figures on his bed next to his sock monkey.

He then walked towards the living room and saw his mom sitting on the fainting couch, reading a magazine. "Hello, Davey. Were you in the closet again?" said Daphne.

"Yeah." He smiled.

Daphne laughed. "We're going out to dinner with Roz and Alice soon. What you're wearing is fine, but I've got to go change me clothes." She stood up and went upstairs.

Knowing that he might have to wait awhile before leaving, David sat down on the couch and sighed. He loved to dress up nice no matter what time or what day it was, so it was rare he ever needed to change for dinner. Usually he wore lightweight, button-down shirts and nice jeans, or sometimes a colorful Polo and khakis. He supposed it was just his style, but it was quite unusual and he didn't know anyone else his age who wore things like he did, at least not to school. He also knew that it made his dad very proud, thought he wasn't quite sure why.

Even at his young age of eight, David knew that he and his family were different from everyone else, but he also knew that different wasn't a bad thing either. He had quite a lot of friends and had made them easily, and most people outside of his third grade class knew him as "the shy boy that wears fancy clothes."

On the coffee table lay Daphne's small, sea green mirror. David picked it up and looked into it out of boredom. He had brown hair, not to short yet not too long, and a lighter shade of brown eyes. Though he could not see this in the mirror, he had inherited Niles' swimmer's build and general dislike of sports, much to his grandfather's chagrin.

He then put the mirror down and blew air through his lips. He wondered what restaurant they would go to. "Probably a swanky French place," he thought. Not that he minded those, in fact he had developed quite a flair for French food, but it seemed to be all that they ate in his family.

In wasn't long before everyone was at the restaurant (which indeed served French food), and soon David was sitting directly across from Alice.

Alice was fourteen and looked exactly like her mother, with the same reddish-brownish hair, the same eyes, and the same outspoken personality.

While the adults talked, Alice and David had a conversation of their own.

"So David," Alice began, "how's third grade?"

"It's going well," David responded.

"Yeah? High school is crap. Don't go." She paused and smiled. "Just kidding. You'll do fine, you and your a-pluses."

He smiled and blushed a little bit.

"Oh, wait a second," she said, pulling out her iPhone. "I wanna take a picture for Instagram. Come here."

He did, even though he didn't like being in pictures much.

When she had posted the picture, she showed it to him. The caption read, _Hangin' with my homeboy David. _He didn't really know what a "homeboy" was, and he didn't ask.

"I'll betcha it'll get _tons _of likes," she told him.

They were silent for a moment, and they heard Roz as she talked to Niles and Daphne.

"…it's the little things. I remember one of the best birthdays I've ever had was when I turned eleven. All I did that day was go ride my bike through the rain and eat cake with my family. It was great."

"Remember when we threw you that birthday party at Frasier's place?" Asked Daphne.

"That was another good birthday and I barely got any presents," Roz said.

David tried to wrap his mind around a good birthday without any presents. It was hard to do.

"It _is_ the simple things, isn't it?" Daphne began. "I mean, when I was a girl, I would just go walking in the forest outside me house and suddenly I'd feel about ten times better than before. It even worked about fifteen years ago when I went back for a visit. Goodness knows why."

This intrigued David, and he wondered why he had never heard about this. She had told him many a story about her life in England, but he had never been aware of a forest.

"As children, Frasier and I would find support through, well, just talking to one another," said Niles. "We would get teased quite a bit because of the things we did and the way we dressed, but somehow if we talked to each other, it just seemed so much better. You know, to this day, I can't exactly describe it."

"I always feel better after I've talked to Dad," thought David. "I guess Uncle Frasier felt the same thing."

"As long as we're telling childhood anecdotes, I've got one," Niles told everyone. "I've never actually told anyone this story, but here it goes."

He started to tell the story of how he stumbled upon an old, abandoned house, and how, to spite Frasier, he had almost entered it only to discover a large spider in the doorway.

"I ran all the way back to the house and collapsed on the porch of course, never told Frasier." He paused for a moment. "You know, I went back to that house on one occasion. It was right after I discovered that Maris had been cheating on me, and I had repressed the memory. I went back and I actually almost went in…and then I remembered that terrifying spider and never looked back."

David marveled at his father's bravery to even think of entering an old house like that! He himself never would have done anything close to that.

He loved hearing these stories. To him they were like windows to the past, a portal to a person he only knew halfway.

When he arrived at home, he ran straight for the big closet and shut the door. He sat down in the corner and closed his eyes.

He imagined a young Roz, riding her pink bicycle in the rain and laughing.

He pictured his mother as a little girl, running thorough a forest, feeling her latest stress slip away.

He envisioned his Uncle Frasier as a boy, coming to Niles for advice and having a weight lifted off of his shoulders.

He fantasized about his father as a child, creeping up the stairs of an empty and dangerous house.

Smiling, he opened his eyes.

This was much better than any action book.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
